Water-power wheel.



A. H. THOREN.

WATER POWER WHEEL.

APPLICATION rum) HA3. 7, 191a.

Patented July 14, 1914,

@uuwwtoz Thoren- Ali rm! NORRIH PETERS C0,. WASHINUYON n. c.

ADOLPH H. THOREN, OF LEAI-IY, WASHINGTON.

WATER-POWER WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 14., 1914.

Application filed March 7, 1913. Serial No. $52,784.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, ADOLPH II. THOREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Leahy, in the county of Douglas and State of Washington, have invented new and useful Improvements in Water-Power Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a water wheel adapted to be submerged in the current of a stream, the primary object being to provide a device of this character constructed with a plurality of pivoted vanes which will be acted upon, on one side portion of the wheel alone, thus causing rotation of the wheel in one direction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character, wherein a wheel constructed in the manner just described is mounted within a frame, which will coact with the water passing through the device in feathering the vanes.

Another object is to provide a device of the class described which will be very simple in construction so as to render the same cheap in cost of manufacture, and which will be very efficient in operation and durable.

The invention consists in the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a front elevation; and, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view taken therethrough.

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the frame in which the water wheel is adapted to be rotatably mounted, and which comprises the side members 2 and the top and bottom members 3 and l. A horizontally disposed shaft 5 is rotatably mounted within the side members 2 of the frame cent-rally thereof and the water wheel 6 is mounted fixedly thereupon between the said side members. The water wheel consists of the end portions 7, each being shaft 5 and having a plurality of radiating arms 8, the vanes 9 are each pivoted bet-ween corresponding arms of the two end portions for swinging movement through an arc of approximately 360 degrees, and the limiting pins 10 provided on the said arms. Each vane 9 is pivoted at one edge thereof to cor responding arms of both end portions of the wheel adjacent their extreme ends by means prising a frame keyed to the of the preferred pivot bolt 11, so that their inner portions will engage the limiting pins projecting inwardly from the intermediate portions of the said arms when the vane is passing through the power sweep of its course. In using a water wheel of this type, the frame and the wheel itself are both entirely submerged in the stream whose current serves to operate the wheel, the shaft upon which the wheel is mounted being connected in any suitable manner to the machinery to be driven. As the current of the stream moves in the direction of the arrow a, the upper port-ion of the Wheel will be acted upon by the current, the vanes being forced against their respective limiting pins as they are brought successively in operative position within the power sweep of the wheels movement. As each vane is carried out of the power sweep, it will move upon its pivot and feather so as to present no ob struction to the current when not in the power sweep, and thus not offering resistance which would retard the motion of the wheel.

The side members 2 of the frame are not disposed in a true vertical position, but are inclined at such an angle that the vanes will successively engage the lower cross portion of the frame as they swing outwardly after leaving the power sweep. This cross portion of the frame will thus aid in causing the vanes to feather.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that I have provided a water power wheel which may be cheaply constructed and installed at a very low cost due to the extreme simplicity of its construction, and which will be very durable and efficient in operation.

What is claimed is:

1. A device of the class described comincluding a lowermost cross portion, side portions, and an uppermost cross portion, a horizontal shaft journaled in the said side portions of the frame, a water wheel fixedly mounted upon said shaft within the frame, and including end portions having radial arms, vanes pivoted between correspondingpairs of arms and limiting pins provided on said arms inwardly with respect to the vane pivots for engagement by said vanes upon moving into the power sweep of the wheel, said vanes being adapt ed to engage the lower cross member of the frame after passing out of the power sweep so as to be aided in feathering thereby.

2. A device of the class described comprising a frame including a lowermost cross portion, side portions connected therewith, and an uppermost cross portion, a horizontal shaft journaled in the said side portions of the frame, a water wheel fixedly mounted upon the said shaft within the frame and including end portions having radial arms, vanes pivoted between corresponding pairs of arms for movement upon horizontal axes, and limiting pins provided on said arms in wardly with respect to the vane pivots for engagement by said vanes upon movement into the power sweep of the wheel, the lowermost cross portion of the frame being disposed at a slightly greater distance from the axis of the wheel than the vane pivots and being adapted for engagement by the vanes when moving out ofthe power sweep.

3. A device of the class described comprising a frame including a lowermost cross portion. side portions connected therewith,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five" cents each, by addressing the Commissioner Washington, D. 0." r

and an uppermost cross portion, a horizontal shaft journaled in the said side portions of the frame, a water wheel fixedly mounted upon the said shaft within the frame and including end portions having radial arms, vanes pivoted between corresponding pairs of arms for movement upon horizontal axes,

and limiting pins provided on said arms inwardly with respect to the vane pivots for engagement by said vanes upon movement into the power sweep of the wheel, the lowermost cross portion of the frame being disposed at a slightly greater distance from the axis of the wheel than the Vane pivots and being arranged beneath the wheel and in ad Vance of the vertical plane of its axis for engagement by tating into their inactive sweep.

the said vanes when gravi In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses. c

ADOLPH H. THOREN. f

lVitnesses: A i

G. T. VVALTER, E. MORGAN.

of IE'atents, 

